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Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

On the last morning in Grenville Channel, as I was hugging the shoreline in search of back eddies, I hugged it a little too closely.

Not to put too fine a point on it, I ran into a barnacle-encrusted rock on the steep-sided shore. Fortunately, I was going slow and the flat face of the rock was about at the same angle as the hull where it hit on the starboard forward quarter. A mere flesh wound, I reassured myself, as I hung over the side peering at it and checking inside the watertight compartment to make sure it hadn't broken through. Nothing a little sanding and painting won't fix.

Or so I thought until I had a good look at the boat when I got it home at the end of the trip. There were actually still pieces of broken off barnacle shell embedded in the wounds. But in fact none were more than 1/16" deep. It did need a little filling before I could sand and paint.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

I am very impressed Alex. great trip and incredible photos. Its been 25 years since I spent time up there, but I did spend time there and remember a lot. I visit metaphorically, when I talk to number 2 son...the Tugboat Captain in Rupert.....

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

I didnít get away from Hartley Bay particularly early, just before 8, and it was calm and cloudy to start with. The skies began to clear after an hour or so and I had great views north up Douglas Channel, which leads to Kitimat.

Alongside Promise Island, looking north up Douglas Channel

There was a current of some kind assisting me as I rowed under the cliffs of the east side of Promise Island and across to the south end of Gribbell Island and Mackay Reach. I covered the 8 Ĺ miles in about 3 Ĺ hours of rowing, and as I rowed past the lighthouse at Pt Cummings, a favourable breeze came up from the northwest, so it was up sails and off downwind.

Sailing east downwind in Mackay Reach

It seemed to take no time at all to cover the 8 or so miles of Mackay Reach, but I was worried that the wind might fact be against me coming up Fraser Reach on the east side of Princess Royal Island, so I began looking for bailout options if that was the case. I neednít have worried, as the wind actually picked up behind me after I rounded Kingcombe Pt. I was doing hull speed and more, so I figured it was a go for Butedale, 13 miles further on.

With the bright sky and scenery, the sailing again was terrific. I started seeing some of the waterfalls that Princess Royal is famous for. I think this channel might be the waterfall factory of the world.

Unnamed waterfall on Princess Royal Island, Fraser Reach

As I got a little further along, I seemed to be outpacing the wind. The wind would drop, I would slow and the wind would fill in behind me again. It also began to cloud over and then to rain. Along about half past 3, the wind really picked up and off I went again. I had the GPS on and my average speed was about 6 kts. At one point, I glanced down and saw that the boat was doing 7.7 kts, which is about 2 Ĺ kts more than theoretical hull speed. I really should have reefed, but Butedale seemed so close and I really wanted to get there before the weather got any worse.

I had discovered that morning that I didnít have detailed charts for the channel down the east side of Princess Royal, only the marine atlas for that area, which doesnít give much detail, so I wasnít really sure what the harbour at Butedale looked like. So I surfed in on the building swell and around the corner to Butedale, and the swell curved around the entrance and followed me in. Just off the dock, I rounded up dropped the rig and rowed into the dock.

Butedale is an abandoned canning factory and is slated for re-development by the current owner. In the meantime, the owner has not put any money into existing facilities, including the dock, which is one of the most decrepit Iíve seen, and is a use-at-your-own-risk proposition. However, any port in a storm, it was late in the day and it was blowing pretty hard by now, so I was going to stay put.

Looking out past the dock at Butedale at the channel, showing waves, but as usual failing to convey their magnitude

The swell was causing Fire-Drake to bounce alarmingly at the outside of the dock, but I spied a short length at the end, in the inside, where I figured a boat of shallow draft could sneak in. I moved there and tied up and it was indeed much quieter, although still not exactly calm. I put up the tent in a light drizzle, sponged out the boat and went up to see if anyone was about.

Fire-Drake at the only quasi-protected spot on the dock at Butedale

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

The sight that greets you from the ramp at Butedale is one of decay and ruin.

The buildings and machinery are all pretty much returning to the high entropy state of the materials they were made from. I found the caretakerís cabin and spent some time talking with the caretaker, Corey Lindsay, about the site and the plans for it. Standing on his porch looking out and listening to the rain he outlined how there is a plan to turn the place into an eco-resort by the current owner, who bought the site in 2013. Apparently the previous owner(s) had let go the water lot and foreshore leases that had been associated with the cannery and the current owner has spent the past 4 years buying them back and pursuing planning permissions. The plan includes installing breakwaters from both sides of the harbour mouth to better protect the new docks from just such swells as were now rolling into the bay.

The old bunkhouse has pretty much had it, but the dinner triangle will assume pride of place.

Not much else will be able to be salvaged from the current site, but perhaps the water-mill powered compressor for the canneryís refrigeration plant, seen here, will be cleaned up and put on display:

The lake water is so clear and clean it is not treated at all, and at present is piped down to the dock and runs continuously. I can confirm that it tasted wonderful and I filled up my water containers.

Corey said that work on the new development was due to start this summer, and that the bulldozers should arrive in August to start demolition and deconstruction.

There are spots of beauty even now, like these foxgloves against the rock face:

And Butedale Falls themselves, which drain the lake.

There is also reputed to be a female Kermode bear Ė one of Princess Royalís famed white Spirit Bears - who frequents the beach at the head of the bay, but she didnít put in an appearance when I was there.

The day ended with steady rain that persisted into the night.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

When I left the next morning, the rain had mostly stopped, and a leftover breeze carried me the 2 Ĺ miles to Red Cliff Pt, where it died. I took to the oars and began to work the back eddies along the shore again. It was to be another rowing day, except for a brief 1-reef wind that rose out of nowhere for about 20 mins off Griffin Pt, raising and then dashing my hopes for another good sailing day. The rest of the day alternated between sun and showers as I rowed along the shore.

More waterfalls revealed themselves, one about every 200 yards it seemed. Some were from the major marked streams on the chart but others were nameless but delightful little splashing rills that would make world-class water features in any landscape architects plan.

There was a fair amount of traffic in the channel this day and some big barges moving heavy equipment. Have to wonder where this crane was coming from and where it was going to.

I arrived at the entrance to Green Inlet at about 4 oíclock, having covered more than 18 miles that day, and came around the corner to Horsefly Cove, intending to anchor there rather than farther in so I wouldnít have so far to row out in the morning. I was met by a woman from a powerboat that was tied between a small island and a rock at the entrance to the cove, who was out rowing her dinghy. We chatted about the trip and rowing and she warned me that the bottom in the cove was not good holding, which is why they were strung between a rock and a hard place, as it were. She said if I couldnít get safely anchored I was welcome to tie to their transom for the night. I went in and tried several places and it was either too deep or too uncomfortably close to shore where the anchor would reach. I went back and took them up on their offer. They generously invited me for supper and we had a good visit discussing various places on the coast they had been to in their previous sailboat and present powerboat.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

It was becoming apparent to me by this time that I couldnít always tell in the morning whether the day was going to be a hard one or an easy one by the end of the day, no matter what I had planned. So it proved this day. I figured that if I got up real early in the morning and caught the early ebb, I stood a good chance of reaching Klemtu by the end of the day. So I got up at half past 4, ate a muffin given to me by the powerboat couple the night before, munched some chocolate covered coffee beans to make sure my hemoglobin level didnít get too high in my caffeine circulatory system, and was rowing by 10 past 5.

The tide didnít seem to help me much at first, maybe Ĺ - ĺ kt, but at least it didnít hinder me. I had the channel to myself that early and it was fine rowing as the low cloud and fog gave way to increasing sunshine.

Graham Reach early morning

At Sarah Island I had the choice of going east or west around it, but with no wind, and the timing wrong for slack at Hiekish Narrows to the east, I went west down Tolmie Channel.

This early part of the day went well, I was rowing strongly, the tide was with me and I reached Cougar Bay at about half past 9, a distance of nearly 13 miles since the start. There the channel widened out and the current became less of a factor.

Cougar Bay is a beautiful spot, somewhat marred by the fish farm that dominates the west shore of the cove.

Cougar Bay fish farm

I idled along past the fish farm and along the shore, crossing the mouth of Alexander Inlet to Split Head and the last section of the channel leading south to Klemtu. When I got around the point at Split Head, the flood tide was so strong I couldnít make any headway, so I ferried across to the east shor of the channel, thinking I could work the back eddies again. I struggled past the first few points, but got to one point I just could not get around. Rowing as strongly as I could, which is about 4Ĺ kts in flat water, I just couldnít make any headway. Skunked. I retreated to the nearest nook out of the tide, and sat there, waiting for the tide to turn.

I sat there spinning in circles, ate lunch and watched the passing boat traffic. Once the tide rose a couple of feet, my protected nook became untenable and I was no longer in a backwater, do I bit the bullet and retreated down-current to a beach in a cove behind Waterfall Point.

Shell beach behind Waterfall Point

It turned out to be an idyllic spot, with a tree to shade me from the hot sun, a cool breeze and a small stream to go and have a wash. Even more unexpectedly, I found I could get a cell signal from Klemtu, which was about 6 miles away, so I was able to check in with home.
The tide finally turned about 3 oíclock so I set off towards Klemtu. I thought, given the strong flood, I would have a big ebb to carry me south, but it never materialized. I was doing alright for the first half hour but then the winds began to play havoc. Extremely gusty and fluky in both direction and strength, it was mostly on the nose, but not reliable enough to sail. It was hard rowing right up to the public dock at Klemtu, where I arrived about 6 oíclock. I had rowed for about 9Ĺ hours and travelled nearly 24 miles. I was done and grateful to be tucked up for the night.

View of the big house from the dock at Klemtu

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

I was very tired when I turned in the night before and I barely woke up around midnight when I heard a boat come in and tie up next on the next ahead of me, so I was rather surprised to find in the morning that it was actually 5 fish boats, rafted up together. All the noise they must have made, and I barely registered it. I talked to them as they were getting a communal breakfast (Vietnamese Canadians) and they told me that the fishing so far that season had been terrible even though they were rigged for both gill netting and trolling. I heard this story all down the coast as I travelled south.

Hartley Bay public dock

There was about 10 kts of south wind in the morning, with a forecast of 20 kts later, so I decided to stay put. Itís a little too much wind for me to comfortably sail against and a lot of wind to row against and I was tired. I explored the town and had a good long talk with the operator of their small salmon hatchery, which had been built nearly 30 years ago mostly with local materials, and is still a going concern.

Totem at the Big House

Old dugout canoe at the Big House

I went in search of a shower in the afternoon but two likeliest possibilities, the bunkhouse for the fish farm, and the fishing lodge, both turned me down. I turned to the river the hatchery is on and found a quiet pool and had a good wash and shave.

Coming back along the road from the river, I spied a familiar looking boat at the dock, tied up across from me. From a distance it looked like a Pinky and sure enough, it proved to be the Grace B, of Port Townsend, returning from Ketchican after completing the R2AK. Aboard was skipper and owner Ernie Baird, whom I hadnít met before, and crew John Calogero and Carol Hasse, who I had. We sat in their cockpit, ate cherries I had bought at the band store, and yarned for an hour. They decided to push on, and since they had an outboard motor for the return journey, they thought they could get a fair ways before dark. I nearly neglected to get a picture of them.

Grace B departing Klemtu

The day ended in drizzle and increasing rain and wind.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Just finished catching up on your journey Alex. Wonderful trip. I expect I'll be neck-deep in Petrel for a while yet but I would love to do some sail-and-oar (or possibly just oar) cruising in this area someday as well.

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Rather than sail or row straight down Finlayson Channel and Milbanke Sound and turn left at Ivory Island to get to Seaforth Channel, John Calogero had pointed out an alternate route via Jackson Passage, which, although it would add a few miles, would be more sheltered. Sounded good to me, especially as the flood tide in Jackson would coincide with my arrival there if I didnít leave too early.

I left Klemtu about quarter to 8 in a steady drizzle and fog and rowed south alongside Cone Island. This south wind was just right for a reach across Finlayson Channel, but it headed me just as I got to Jackson Passage and I had to tack a few times to get in to the entrance, where it died away.

Leaving Klemtu

As I rowed into the Passage, the weather got thicker, to the point where the cloud and fog obscured Cone Island, only 2 miles away. Half a mile in, I heard a float plane behind me. I turned around and here was a Beaver, flying about 100 feet up (no exaggeration) as the ceiling was that low, heading for Finlayson Channel. I thought he was insane, as I know these planes donít carry radar and operate on VFR. He disappeared into the murk, with me shaking my head, but, 5 minutes later, he appeared around the corner, down on the water, taxiing in to Jackson Passage, where he anchored. I suspect he put down in a hurry and I canít imagine what his passengers would have thought.

About halfway through the passage a light wind came up from the west behind me. It wasnít strong, but it was enough to push me faster than I could row. As a bonus it began to get brighter so I pumped and sponged out the rainwater and the boat began to dry out.

The wind dropped and switched direction again as I approached the narrows at the east end of the passage, so I dropped the rig to row through. The tide was still flooding so it was a bit of a downhill ride, +7 kts over the ground with me pulling hard one side and then the other to keep clear of the rocks.

Another half hour of rowing brought me to Rescue Bay, a provincial marine park and popular anchorage. It was early in the afternoon and I had only come about 11 miles, but the tide was due to change shortly and the wind was against me, so I called it a day, anchoring in about 25 ft, which was quite a ways out in this shallow bay. As the afternoon progressed, more and more boats came in, but there was lots of room. The rain continued on and off the rest of the day.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

The forecast for the next day was to be south about 15 kts by noon and the ebb tide was early, ending by about half past 10. This dictated an early start, so I set the alarm for 4:15 and made a batch of porridge to put in the thermos with the insulated cover, so as to have it ready in the morning without having to take the time to cook it. The night was quiet and I got up, made coffee, ate my porridge, packed up and was rowing away from the anchorage at half past 5.

Early morning in Mathieson Channel just south of Rescue Bay

It only took me 15 minutes to row out of the bay and around the corner into Mathieson Channel, where I found low cloud and bits of fog, but no rain. There was a little bit of current in my favour, but as I rowed by the open entrance to Oscar Pass, that dissipated and my speed dropped.

Once past Arthur Island south of the pass, the current became noticeable again and my speed went back up. It remained calm but there were short-lived drenching showers periodically. There was a lot of wildlife around, seals sticking their heads up, seabirds and then a breaching whale off in the distance near Tom Bay. Heading towards Hyde Pt, I kept hearing a whale blow, and turned my head to look, generally only to see disturbed water where it had been. Finally, it surfaced only 100 yards away and revealed itself to be a Minke whale. It disappeared again before I gout get a picture.

In the calm between showers alongside the Don Peninsula

Most boats take Perceval Passage from here, but I had spotted a possible small-boat back door to the beginning of it, behind Lake and Nathan Islands. Rowing in north of Nathan Island, it looked at first as if I wouldnít be able to get through, but it opened up enough for a shallow draft boat. The current was against me, which I didnít expect, but it was not too strong to row against and there was no wind. There were lots of black flies though, and I had to resort to the bug net again.

Coming out from behind Lake Island the wind started up from the south, and there was a swell from Milbanke Sound, which wasnít that far away to the SW. I was only a little over a mile to the entrance to Reid Passage, which completes the protected alternative route to Milbanke Sound. I stopped at Oliver Cove, just into the Passage, and dropped the hook. There was plenty of daylight left, but Iíd managed to come nearly 15 miles and had had enough, with my early start. Oliver Cove is another popular marine provincial park and in the late afternoon several other boats came in and anchored as well.

It brightened up in the afternoon enough to be able to dry things out from the morningís rain and it was quite pleasant to laze the rest of the day away.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Overnight was quiet except for a tug and tow coming through Reid Passage about midnight, which sent a wake into the anchorage. In the morning, I figured if the weather goods smiled on me, I might be able to make Shearwater that day. I was rowing by quarter to 7 and it was apparent it was going to be a much brighter day than the last few. I encountered a little bit of contrary current in Reid Passage but it didnít slow me down much and I rowed across to the narrow pass east of Watch Island and out into Seaforth Channel.

Watch Island to the left, Ivory Island (home of one of the major lighthouses) to the right, open ocean between

Here the swell coming in from Milbanke sound made itself felt and it combined with the west-going ebb current in Seaforth Channel to make rowing hard and slow. It was an especially hard pull getting around the first part of the south end of the Don Peninsula, but then there were some back eddy breaks until Bush Pt. I crept along slowly until I got to the corner where Spiller Channel meets Seaforth and found my forward progress stopped dead.

I decided not to fight it and crossed over the south side of Seaforth Channel, finding a tiny shallow quiet cove just short of Idol Point, to wait the turn of the tide.

Tiny cove west of Idol Pt

Looking out from the cove at Seaforth Channel

The sun was well out by this time and so it was no hardship to wait for the tide here. Around about 11, I got impatient and raised the anchor and rowed out. I found negligible current either against me or with me. There was a light easterly wind heading me but it was sunny enough that I figured that soon daytime heating over the land would generate a west wind behind me. And so it proved. After getting by Raymond Passage, the wind came up from the west strong enough that I could put up the sails and set off downwind at 3 kts. It was a nice sail past Dryad Pt, another of the weather reporting lightstations, and the wind strengthened and my speed increased as I approached Saunders Island, where I made the turn towards Shearwater.

Sailing past Dryad Pt lightstation

The wind dropped behind Saunders but retained enough poop to carry me to within a couple of hundred yards of the dock at Shearwater before dying away. I rowed in and the harbourmaster assigned me a spot. Iíd covered more than 17 miles and I was grateful to be in ahead of the forecast strong winds for the next day and to be in a place where I could get a shower, do my laundry and replenish the stock of beer, which was getting dangerously low.

Fire-Drake at the dock in Shearwater

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Shearwater is a full service marina and resort that includes docks, accommodation, showers, laundry, coffee shop, grocery store, pub/restaurant, boatyard and fishing charters. Because of the amenities itís a major crossroads for boaters heading north or south and a happening kind of place. Itís built on the site of a WWII float plane base, which was established there to counter the threat from Japan after 1941. The first planes based there were Supermarine Stranraers, and the current owner commissioned this model, which also serves as a windvane:

It was good to see that the local waters are very clean, judging from the tubeworms and other creatures growing on the float next my boat:

After doing the chores and buying supplies, I chatted with some kayakers Ė a couple who had started in Skagway and were heading south, and a solo kayaker from California who was heading north, and resuming his journey after taking a couple of weeks off to recover from a wrist injury. I went up to the pub for supper and caught the last 3 innings of a Blue Jays game. It was a bit of culture shock after many days of quiet and usually solitary anchorages.

There was rain overnight but it had stopped by the time I woke at 7. The wind was not yet up but I listened to the forecast as I had a leisurely breakfast and pot of coffee, and it hadnít changed Ė strong south winds later in the morning.
It was a day to stay put and wait for the weather to change. I idled away the morning, drinking coffee and socializing with staff and visitors to the marina.

I decided to head over in the water taxi to Bella Bella to see what, if anything, had changed since I was last there with my kayak 20 years ago. What I found were a number of new public buildings including a significant addition to the school and a nice new building that was to house a larger version of the Band store, I was told. Found this poster that celebrates the recent discovery by Simon Fraser University archeologists, of 14,500 year old charcoal and bone tools on Triquet Island, not far away. The discovery aligns with local oral tradition.

I had camped there with my kayak years ago and had no idea that it has been continuously occupied for that long. This definitively predates Clovis culture and may be the earliest site in North America for which there is hard evidence of human presence.

It was kids fishing derby day, in spite of the increasing wind, thickening cloud and occasional shower. Everyone was out on the public pier and the kids were totally focused on the fishing. I had a few minutes of panic as I searched for my Newfoundland baseball cap, which I thought had blown off my head and off the pier, but I found it later, right where I must have dropped it when I took it off to take this picture of the wind coming up Lama Passage:

Back at Shearwater, the windvane (and the resident Bald Eagle) showed how the wind had switched.

I had supper at the pub again, this time with the kayakers, and ended up shooting pool and shooting the breeze with them the rest of the evening.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Attractive as the charms of Shearwater were, I couldnít stay forever if I wanted to get south. I set my alarm for quarter past 5, wanting to take advantage of the ebb current in the morning, and turned in. It rained pretty steadily overnight and it was raining hard when the alarm went off, which isnít exactly encouraging for getting-up-and-at-Ďer, but I listened to the forecast and it sounded like it would be OK later on, with maybe even a shift to northwest winds behind me in the afternoon. I was slow to get organized and didnít get away until half past 7.

It was still raining so I was wearing my drysuit as I rowed out of the marina towards where Lama Pass turns south. The ebb was in my favour and there was a little bit of headwind, but once more not enough to sail. I didnít have the GPS on that morning but judging from the rate the shoreline was moving past me, I was making about 3 kts over the ground with not a huge effort, so it was a pleasure to row. Lots of traffic in Lama Pass as I turned at Bella Bella and continued rowing south. At the light on Denny Island opposite Hunter Channel, about where I was due to turn east, a SW wind blew up out of Hunter Channel that allowed me to raise sail and set off on a close reach, which soon tuned into a broad reach as I got around the corner. I had to stick to the north shore of Lama Pass to avoid this guy who was coming straight down the middle with a barge piled high with logs:

It was good to be sailing, although I was getting cool in the rain now that I was no longer rowing, but the rain went from steady to on and off, to just showers, to stopping altogether. With the cessation of the rain also came the cessation of the wind, so it was back to the oars and I soon warmed up again. The wind had saved me from rowing about 6 miles. I was not too far from the east entrance to Lama Pass by then and the ebb had ended. I came round the corner to Fisher Channel and found a light headwind from the south and the flood current setting against me.

Automated light at the east entrance to Lama Pass

I decided to tuck into a harbour behind Long Point, just south of the Pass and wait to see if the threatened northwest wind would develop. I thought myself very clever for discovering this harbour, not mentioned in the cruising guides, but shortly after I dropped the hook at the head, a fish boat showed up:

The afternoon was really brightening up and I had hopes for a favourable wind with the clearing of the clouds. It was sunny enough to get things dried out and to take a nice little nap with my feet up. The only drawback to this little harbour was that I was having trouble pulling in the continuous marine weather broadcast for the forecast on my handheld VHF. I resorted to tying it to the end of my boathook, cranking up the volume and holding it extended over my head. It improved reception enough that I could just make out the forecast. The northwest wind that was forecast for later in the day never did show up and the wind continued to blow from the south, but I wasnít too fussed about it as I had come nearly 14 miles.

As the afternoon moved into evening, more fish boats showed up, including the 5 that had come in late at night while I was in Klemtu. They all rafted up to one boat and relied on his anchor, which I thought was a little risky:

By the time I turned in, there were 12 fish boats in this little bay. Clearly, they have their own network of anchorages and hidey-holes. This one is handy for fishery openings in Fisher Channel. Most of the boats that were there left at 3 in the morning.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

The start of the ebb tide was of course getting later every morning, but I wanted to get going early and I figured I could work back eddies at the end of the flood, in order to take full advantage of the entire ebb, if there was no wind. Accordingly, I once again set my alarm for quarter past 5. When it went off, I was excited to feel a light northwest wind coming into the bay – a sailing day at last! I got underway at quarter to 7 and rowed out of the bay only to find the wind was only in the bay and that it was calm in Fisher Channel outside. No matter, I had planned to row anyway.

The tide must have turned early because I found my speed over ground was 3Ĺ kts. There was low marine cloud when I started but within an hour it was burning off, producing a glorious morning.

Early morning low cloud in northern Fisher Channel

About half past 8 a breeze came up from the north so it was up sail rig and off downwind. I sailed in beautiful sunshine the rest of the day, in varying wind strength in the morning, including half an hour before lunch where I had to put in a reef.

Lots of traffic in the channel, including where Fisher Channel transitions to Fitzhugh Sound at Burke Channel. This sailboat coming out of Burke Channel was actually sailing to windward, instead of motoring, as nearly every other sailboat I had seen on the Inside Passage. It was such an unusual sight I was moved to take a picture.

Sailboat in Fitzhugh Sound

There was a lot of commercial traffic as well, including the Central Coaster, a double-bottomed 150’ long, 350 tonne general cargo ship owned by Shearwater Marine, that carries general cargo for customers between Port Hardy and Hartley Bay.

Central Coaster ship

I had thought of stopping at Namu, the site of an old abandoned cannery and the traditional site of a first nations village for at least 10,000 years but the sailing was so terrific I carried on right past it. Opposite Kwakume Point, the wind died away again so I dropped the rig and began rowing. After an hour or so, I came to Kwakshua Channel, which separates Hecate Island from Calvert Island, and found a strong northwesterly breeze blowing out of it. I put up the rig and immediately was doing 5 kts on a broad reach. It didn’t take long to reach Addenbroke Island, another of the major reporting lightstations on the coast.

Approaching Addenbroke Island

The conditions were such a contrast to the last time I came this way, going north in my kayak 20 years ago, in a calm with the weather closing down and drizzle setting in. This time, the lighthouse and associated buildings were a picturesque sight in the sunshine as I sailed past.

Addenbroke Lighthouse

The wind moderated a little past Addenbroke and it was quite lumpy, as by now the tide had turned to flood, opposing the north wind. It began to smooth out as Fitzhugh Sound widened. All day I had been seeing salmon jumping and now I started to see whale spouts off along the Shore of Calvert Island. As I got further south there were protracted bouts of tail slapping and I could see that they were Orcas. I presume this is some kind of hunting behaviour, but I wasn’t close enough to see exactly what was happening.

The wind was increasing again to the point where I was considering reefing, but I was getting close to Fury Cove, which I thought would be a good destination for the day. It is a beautiful spot and popular with boaters. It was close to suppertime when I came abreast of the tip of Penrose Island which encloses the cove, and I rounded up and dropped the rig to row through the chop into the anchorage. Once inside I counted a dozen boats already at anchor in the warm calm waters and sunshine. I found a smaller inner cove, too shallow for bigger boats, and had it all to myself. The white shell beach, which I had camped on all those years ago, was opposite my anchorage:

I was well content with the day. I had covered 36 miles since leaving Long Point Harbour, my highest mileage day to date. I celebrated with an oversized beer for supper. The night was quiet and clear when I turned in.

Last edited by AJZimm; 08-23-2017 at 01:14 PM.
Reason: typo

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Before me now was the section with potentially the most risk of the whole trip. From Cape Calvert on the southern tip of Calvert Island, to the north end of Hope Island, Queen Charlotte Sound is over 30 miles of open coast, not protected by the islands to the north and south that make the Inside Passage inside not outside. Itís exposed to the full impact of swell, wind and wave from the open north Pacific. There are major outflows of tidal current from Rivers Inlet, Smith Sound, Queen Charlotte Strait and Slingsby Channel, which, if they oppose the wind, create nasty and dangerous conditions for all boats, not just small boats.

Youíre not out of the woods once you enter Queen Charlotte Strait either, as the north end is very open to the ocean to the northwest, and itís nearly 40 miles from Cape Caution to the relative shelter of Malcom Island. For an unpowered boat, if the wind is not in your favour, careful planning and a close eye on the weather is needed. I decided to take the section in stages: getting by Rivers Inlet, getting by Smith Sound, finding a staging spot for Cape Caution to wait for a favourable weather and tide window, getting by Slingsby Channel.

The first task then from Fury Cove was to get by Rivers Inlet. I got up early, in order to get past the inlet on the last of the flood and to avoid the wind, and was rowing out of the cove at quarter to 6. It was calm and clear, with the moon rising above the eastern horizon but the sun not yet up. Outside the cove, the swell from the open Pacific slowed me speed over ground to less than 2 kts. There were a number of sport fishing boats out, likely from the 2 lodges in Rivers Inlet, speeding to various fishing spots. As the sun came up I rowed by a small raft of half a dozen sea otters, the first Iíd seen on the trip. Further out a Humpback whale blew and later a Harbour Porpoise surfaced near me.

As I got past the islands southwest of Walbran Island, which forms the northwest shore of the entrance to Rivers Inlet, I began to feel a light breeze from the northeast coming out of the inlet. I thought at first it was the last of the nighttime land breeze, which hadnít yet succumbed to the rising sun. It got strong enough at about 8 that I could raise the sails and begin sailing. Instead of dying away, which I expected, it became stronger and veered to the south and blew in a thick fog, which hadnít been forecast. Visibility quickly deteriorated to less than 200 yards. Although my GPS gave me my position, I figured it was too dangerous to sail in this, as I could hear the fishing boats going by at high speed. I suspect most of them donít have radar and Iím not sure how well my small wooden boat with wood masts would show up anyway. By this time I was only a mile off Kelp head, so I set a course for Cranstown Point and the beach behind it. The fog was not deep and the sun above it made it glow to the point where it erased the boundary between air and water, which was beautiful, but it didnít help visibility. It was what I imagined it would be like sailing in a sensory deprivation chamber. Charging along at 4 kts in the fog, I could see the point getting closer and closer on the GPS, but there was no sight of it, when suddenly, the cliffs of the point resolved above me out of the fog about 100 yards away. A last minute minor course correction and I was around the point and into the calm waters behind it.

Beach behind Cranstown Point, Kelp Head

Looking out at the fog past Cranstown Point

Rowing that morning I felt sharp pains on the points where my butt contacts the thwart cushion. This was more than just the soreness from long days rowing - it felt like being stabbed with something sharp. I took the opportunity during the forced stop to get out the mirror in my toiletries bag to peer at my butt (no pictures, fortunately) where I discovered a patch on both sides where the skin had chafed right way. I applied some antibiotic cream, a couple of bandaids over each spot and then covered the bandaids with patches of ancient, but still serviceable moleskin that I had. Thus repaired, it was much less painful, although not exactly comfortable. The joys of self-propulsion.

As the morning wore away, although it was bright at the beach, the fog kept blowing in overtop the point from the southwest. It began to look like one of those days where the fog would persist all day. I wasnít hearing any more fishing boats blasting by, so when the fog thinned a little at half past 12, I decided that I could safely creep around Kelp Head and get into Milbrook Cove, which would be more sheltered for the night.
Rowing out around the point, the swell was if anything increased, rebounding off the rocks, making rowing difficult, but I plugged away until I came opposite Bay Pt, when the wind started from the southwest, enough to raise the sails. At first I wasnít moving any faster than slow rowing, but it was much less work. The wind gradually increased and I was doing a little over 3 kts as I went past Extended Pt. The fog began to lift here but it was still foggy over toward Cape Caution and I couldnít see it. I decided to stick with the plan to head for Milbrook, because of the fog and the rising southwest wind. By the time I made the turn northeast toward the cove, the sun was fully out and it became a nice downwind sail.

Approaching the pass north of Shield Island

I ran through the narrow pass north of Shield Island at 5 kts and rounded up just outside Milbrook Cove and dropped the rig. I rowed in to find a large sloop at anchor and went past him to the northwest corner and found a shallow spot to anchor. The wind was coming in strongly over the land ahead, but the fetch was short, so I set the mizzen and sheeted it in to weathercock the boat. I sat in the sunshine with a beer, gazed at the scenery and pondered my mortality, it being my birthday.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Alex, at risk of getting a little personal on the subject of "chafe", can I recommend Lantiseptic Cream? It's a high-lanolin skin protectant that I started using when I was doing very long bike rides a few years back. It's very effective - even more so if used heavily *before* you start losing skin. And I'm not sure if you have any experience in this area but the long distance bicycling community has - as you can imagine - a lot of information and different options for keeping the tender bits protected...

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Originally Posted by cstevens

Alex, at risk of getting a little personal on the subject of "chafe", can I recommend Lantiseptic Cream? It's a high-lanolin skin protectant that I started using when I was doing very long bike rides a few years back. It's very effective - even more so if used heavily *before* you start losing skin. And I'm not sure if you have any experience in this area but the long distance bicycling community has - as you can imagine - a lot of information and different options for keeping the tender bits protected...

As always, great story!

Thanks for the tip, Chris. You're right that I should have been more proactive. The issue was that I had never had this problem before - never rowed so many miles on so many days before. Plus I'm not immune to the usual guy thing of ignoring a minor physical problem until it becomes a major physical problem - likely a result of running marathons in my misspent youth (relative youth anyway).

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Originally Posted by AJZimm

Thanks for the tip, Chris. You're right that I should have been more proactive. The issue was that I had never had this problem before - never rowed so many miles on so many days before. Plus I'm not immune to the usual guy thing of ignoring a minor physical problem until it becomes a major physical problem - likely a result of running marathons in my misspent youth (relative youth anyway).

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

I set the alarm very early, half past 3, to get up and get rowing before any contrary breezes started, and turned in. When the alarm went I looked out and saw fog, so I turned over and went back to sleep. I woke again at 5 and looked out to see that the fog had gone but it had left behind low cloud. I decided to get up and go, to Jones Cove at least, and see what conditions were like for progressing further once I got there. Most of the other boats in Milbrook were either leaving or had left, presumably to get round Cape Caution.
I was rowing by 6 on the dot and very shortly a light breeze suckered me into raising the sails.

Table Island to the right, Cape Caution to the left

My speed rarely exceeded 2 kts and most of the time was nearer 1, so I finally gave up and went back to the oars. I found that, even with the swell, I was making 2.3 kts over ground. The mouth of Smith Sound was pretty much devoid of boats that morning, but there were a fair number of seabirds around. I rowed by a group of Phalaropes, doing their spinning thing to bring tiny organisms up to the surface to feed on. I tried to get a picture of them in action, but only managed this rather fuzzy image of them flying away:

The rowing got harder as I approached Table Island in Alexandra Passage, as the swell increased from offshore. I laboured into the shelter of Tuner Islands and the swell dropped but increased again in the gap between them and Jones Cove. While it was still mid-morning, I judged that with the difficult rowing, it was too risky to try to get round Cape Caution that day, so I opted to spend the rest of the day in Jones Cove, a good staging spot for the Cape, and pretty much the last place to wait north of it.

As I approached the cove, a 50í power boat that had gone ahead of me to look into the cove, came out and passed close to me. As they did, they slowed down and asked if I needed anything. As it happened, I was a little short of fresh water, as one of my water bags had sprung a leak and drained its contents into the bilge. I yelled out ďA couple of gallons of water would be appreciated!Ē and one of the crew went below and came out with 2 jugs of bottled water and tossed them over. We had a short chat about the weather and strategies for getting round the Cape. You could see that they clearly thought I wasnít quite right in the head for travelling the way I was, but their hearts were in the right place and I was grateful for the water.

As I dropped the hook in the tiny cove, the sun began to peek through the clouds and I made a pot of coffee and sat back to take in the scene:

View NE from Jones Cove

I spent the rest of the morning doing boat chores, having a seawater wash and programming in GPS waypoints for the days ahead. The wind picked up in the afternoon from the southwest, which would be dead on the nose for sailing around the Cape, so I felt that my decision to stay put was validated.

The water in the shallow cove was very clear so I could see that the bottom, mostly sandy with some seaweed. I couldnít see any fish but, finding myself with the leisure time and a sandy beach adjacent, I thought Iíd try fishing for my supper. Iím no great fisherman and on previous trips I have unashamedly sponged off the efforts of my betters McMullen and Yeadon, however, I had bought a cheap rig for this trip. On the first 4 casts, I brought up weed, but on the fifth cast, I felt tugging, and after a short tussle, reeled in a modest-sized Greenling of some sort. Into the bucket it went and within 5 minutes I caught a somewhat larger Rockfish. I was amazed that a no-skill guy like me could manage this inside 10 mintues. I probably could have caught more but I just wanted dinner, not statistics. I immediately went ashore, filleted them and fried them up with a little oil and spice. Absolutely nothing beats fish that fresh.

The rest of the evening passed watching the coveís resident immature Bald Eagle and listening to the Kingfishers.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

In the pre-dawn darkness . . .

. . . it was cloudy at quarter to 4 when I got up and the 0400 lighthouse reports at Egg Island, just off the Cape to the northwest, West Sea Otter buoy offshore, and Pine Island further south in Queen Charlotte Strait all indicated calm or very light winds. The forecast was favourable for the early part of the day, and if I got under way soon I would have a little bit of ebb to help me the last little bit out of Smith Sound. I was still a little nervous, as Cape Caution isnít really one Cape but only the southernmost point of a 4-mile long headland that includes Milthorpe Point and Neck Ness before you get to Cape Caution, where the light is situated. From my anchorage in Jones Cove it was about 6 miles to the Cape and about 9 miles to the nearest plausible cove to duck into should the weather deteriorate.

I dug out my battery-powered running lights for the first time in the trip and clamped them on bow and stern, raised the anchor, shipped the oars and got rowing by quarter to 5. It was very sloppy rowing in the confused, rebounding swell in the open, but I was getting the expected boost from the tide, averaging a little over 2Ĺ kts.

Egg Island, Table Island and Cape Calvert at dawn

Abreast of Milthorpe Point, I was able to turn from west to southwest, and a west wind came up. I put up the sails and set off on a reach, doing 4 kts. I had visions of a monster mileage day dancing in my head, but a mile short of Cape Caution the wind died away so that I had to take to the oars again. By this time the tide had switched to flood and was helping me along. I soon passed the storied Cape and found that the swell diminished somewhat.

Approaching Cape Caution, just before the wind dies

Cape Caution itself

At the cove north of Wilkie Point, my first bail-out point, I was doing well so I kept going. Across Burnett Bay, the current alternately helped then disappeared. A little wind came up from the southwest and I was afraid that it was the southerly gale predicted for later, come early, so I decided that the next bail-out option, the cove at Buccleugh Point, would be where Iíd stop. AS is often the case, what looks good on the chart doesnít pan out in reality. While the cove is sheltered from the southerly winds, it is wide open to the northwesterly swell that was setting strongly into the bay when I got there, so it clearly wasnít going to work.

Tug and barge passing in the distance in Queen Charlotte Strait

With no choice, I pushed on, targeting Miles Inlet on Bramham Island. While this would carry me past Slingsby Channel, the timing was right as it would be a flood tide. The rowing now got very difficult, due not just to the swell and current around the point, but the area was thick with sport fishing boats coming and going at high speed, with their usual disregard for the consequences of their wake on small boats. The current was very confused, but not dangerous, off the mouth of Slingsby, but it seemed a long slog to get to Miles Inlet. I finally pulled into the inlet, a dropped the hook in a very small rocky-sided cove a little over half a mile in, on the south side, at quarter past 11. Iíd been rowing and sailing, mostly rowing, for 6Ĺ hours and I was tired, but Iíd done it, I was safely past both Cape Caution and Slingsby Channel!

I felt like I should rush to get a gold earring for my left ear.

Rocky-sided cove anchorage in Miles Inlet

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

This is a truly great thread. The photos are wonderful, but the best part about it is the blow-by-blow regarding rowing vs. sailing. You are a freaking animal, Alex...rowing this much day after day.

Love the boat, too.

Indeed! And a question on that note: Given how much you ended up rowing, do you think it would have been an easier trip in a dedicated pulling boat, rather than oar-and-(occasionally)-sail? Asking for a friend...

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

Originally Posted by cstevens

Indeed! And a question on that note: Given how much you ended up rowing, do you think it would have been an easier trip in a dedicated pulling boat, rather than oar-and-(occasionally)-sail? Asking for a friend...

A dedicated pulling boat, even one that could also carry enough supplies for a trip like this, would probably be faster, although I don't know about easier. I am thinking of something like Colin Angus' Row Cruiser which has on-board sleeping arrangements together with a sliding seat rowing rig. He suggests that its cruising speed is about 4 kts, which is about a knot and half faster than Fire-Drake (although Colin could probably row Fire-Drake faster than I can). That would be 12 extra miles in an 8 hour rowing day, but you still have to row for 8 hours.

On a sail and oar boat in these waters, 50-50 rowing/sailing is usually about the best you can hope for over an extended period in the summer. Overall, when the dust settled at the end of this trip I had rowed just under 58% of the total mileage. I am happy with that although I would have preferred more sailing, but you play the weather cards you are dealt with.

It depends on your personality and what you prefer, I think. Personally, it would have driven me crazy to have passed up the opportunity to sail when the winds allowed it.

If easier was the overriding objective, I would have built a powerboat.

Alex

"A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. We do be afraid of the sea, and we only be drowned now and again" Aran Islands Fisherman

Re: Fire-Drake Does BCís Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

FireDrake is a lot prettier than the Angus rowcruiser, though "pretty" is in the eye of the beholder, yes?

How much do you wish you had a dedicated (dry??) sleeping space when you do a trip like this, as opposed to a tarp-tent over the boom? Maybe that's not a fair question, if you haven't done such a trip in a rowable-and-sailable boat that has a dedicated space like that.